Social Media

“Employee advocacy” is a hot topic among marketers and PR folks these days. This focus on using employees to spread a company’s message via social media is an exciting and seemingly perfect fit for many companies. Simply, why shouldn’t a company harness the power of a faithful workforce? Unfortunately, there are many legal issues that should be examined before any company turns employees loose on social media.

A new law went into effect on October 1, 2013 regarding social media password protection in the workplace. Two more laws will go into effect in the next few months, and several more could be passed next year. And, unfortunately, this trend does not appear to be ending anytime soon.

In my recent post for Maximize Social Business, which is creatively titled: “New Password Protection Laws In The Workplace,” I analyze some of these new laws and point out similarities and differences which may cause headaches for multi-state employers. Even single-State employers need to be aware of legislation in other states as well as their own because such laws are spreading quickly around the country. It is never too late to contact me, or another employment law/HR attorney to help your business comply with legal requirements and implement strategies to reduce legal risks so that you can focus on running a successful business.

Read my posts on Social Media and Employment Law on Maximize Social Business.

If you have been following my posts and my firm, you know that I have been a monthly contributor regarding Social Media and Employment Law to the widely recognized social media community at Windmill Networking. In June 2013, Windmill Networking became Maximize Social Business and one of the primary focuses remains to become your virtual boardroom for every social media problem, issue or question that you might have. I encourage you to subscribe to Maximize Social Business and read the daily posts regarding almost any issue having to do with social media. And, please let me know if there is particular “social media and the workplace” issue that you would like me to blog about in an upcoming month.

In my July 2013 post tiled “Social Media in the Workplace: 5 Reasons To Not Friend Coworkers” I address some of the questions and issues I receive regarding the “to friend or not to friend” question that employees, supervisors, and co-workers face, and I offer five reasons against becoming Facebook “friends” with work colleagues. Let me know if you have strong arguments to the contrary.

A woman is attending a general session at a conference. The audience is predominantly male. The woman hears two men sitting behind her make jokes about “big dongles” and “forking the repo.” Woman snaps a photo of the two men with her smartphone camera, posts that picture on her Twitter account (approximately 14,000 followers), and says: “Not cool. Jokes about forking repos in a sexual way and ‘big’ dongles. Right behind me.”

Eventually, two people are fired by their employers. And one of them is probably not who you think.

Do you make resolutions for the new year? If so, you probably focus on the items that focus on your family, health and prosperity. Employees should also take the time to make some resolutions regarding social media and how it impacts their workplace. Companies too should keep some key resolutions in mind as the legal issues concerning social media in the workplace continue to shift.